Drag bucket



Oct. 10, 1944. G J ASHLEYY- 2,359,817

DRAG BUCKET Filed July 30, 1943 IN VENTOR:

B Gena d J./4sh/e ATTORNEYS.

Patented Oct. 10, 1944 UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE DRAG BUCKET GeraldJ. Ashley, DetroifiMich. Application July 30, 1943, Serial No. 496,753

4 Claims. 01. 37-135) My invention relates to new and usefulimprovements in drag-buckets for dragline excavators, and moreparticularly in the arches thereof.

The trade is familiar with the conventional drag-bucket for draglineexcavators, such buckets being exemplified in U. S. Patents 1,767,691and 1,897,346 and 1,974,426, for example.

Such buckets consist of: a box-like dirt-carrying body, open at the topand front; brackets or trunnions on each side, behind the center ofgravity, for the attachment of a forked hoistchain; a digging edge,usually with teeth, along the front edge of the bottom; an arch acrossfrom side to side, well forward of the digging edge; and means, on thefront edges of the sides, well forward of the digging edge, for theattachment of a forked drag-chain.

It is the principal object of my invention to improve the constructionof the arch.

In addition to my principal object, above stated, I have worked out anumber of novel and useful details, which will be readily evident as thedescription progresses.

My invention consists in the novel parts and in the combination andarrangement thereof, which are defined in the appended claims, and ofwhich one embodiment is exemplified in the accompanying drawing, whichis hereinafter particularly described and explained.

Throughout the description, the same reference number is applied to thesame member or to similar members.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my bucket.

Figure 2 is a side elevation of my bucket, taken along the lines 2-2 ofFigure 1, and showing the arch in section.

Figure 3 is a front elevation of my bucket, taken along the lines 3-3 ofFigure 2.

Turning now to the figures it will be seen that, except for my improvedarch, they represent the conventional drag-bucket of the art, in which II represents the body, 12 the brackets for the attachment of thehoist-chains (not shown), 13 the digging edge, I4 the teeth, and 15 theclevises for the attachment of the drag chain (not shown). Incidentallythese particular clevises are the subject matter of U. S. Patent No.2,131,063, issued September 27, 1938, to G. W. Mork.

The arch of my bucket consists of two curved plates l5 and I7, and onefiat crescent-shaped plate 18.

Curved plate I! is a continuation of the side plates. In its centralportion, where the section is taken in Figure 2, it slopes downwardlyfor- Wardly.

Curved plate l6 joins plate I1 along their rearward edges, and alsoalong the line Hi. In its central portion, where the section is taken inFigure 2, plate I6 is practically horizontal foreand-aft, and carrieslugs 20 for the attachment of the conventional stabilizing line.

The gap caused forward by the divergence of plates I6 and I7, is filledby plate I8.

These three plates are welded together, or otherwise properly secured,along their contact edges, so as to form a box-girder construction oftriangular cross-section.

The advantages of this type of arch over one of square cross-section areas follows:

1. Less overhead clearance for the same size of front opening.

2. It will be noted that lower'face I! of the arch is practicallyparallel to digging edge [2 and teeth It. This afiords a natural funnelto direct the dumped material in a stream.

3. The presentation of a narrow rear edge to outgoing material, preventsit from piling up, as it would against a flat rear wall, particularly ifit be sticky. 1

4. When the excavated material contains large boulders, they will glanceoff of my type of arch during dumping, instead of falling squarelyagainst it and thus possibly damaging it, as in the case of an arch witha flat rear wall.

5. Because of the reduced clearance, the bending moments in the centerof the arch are reduced.

6. A triangular arch is stronger than a square arch of the same weight.Inasmuch as the bending strains are concentrated in the front of thearch, I have removed the unnecessary rear portion of the arch, and havetransferred its metal to the front portion, where it can be reallyuseful in this connection.

7. This forward location of weight also results 7 in an increase intooth-pressure during digging.

8. There is about a 40% saving in welding due to the omission of oneweld, and due to the other welds being shorter.

9. There is about a 30% saving in cutting and dressing, due to theomission of the back plate.

Having now described and illustrated one form of my invention, I wish itto be understood that my invention is not to be limited to the specificform or arrangement of parts herein described and shown, except insofaras required by limitations in my claims.

I claim:

1. A drag-bucket for dragline excavators, comprising a box-like bodyopen at the top and front, hoistline attaching means on the sidesthereof behind the center of gravity of the bucket, a digging edge atthe front of the bottom thereof, dragline attaching means on the frontof the sides thereof well ahead of the digging edge, an arch extendingfrom the front top of one side thereof to the front top of the otherside well ahead of the digging edge, and means on the top of the archfor the attachment of a stabilizing line, said bucket beingcharacterized by."the fact that the arch thereof is triangular incross-section, the triangle in its central position consisting of ashort substantially vertical side, and two side's converging rearwardlytherefrom.

2. A bucket according to claim 1, further characterized by the fact thatthe front substantially vertical side of the triangle is formed by acrescent shaped flat plate, and that each of the other two sides isformed by a curved plate, thesethree plates being appropriately securedtogether.

3. A bucket according to claim 1, further characterized by the fact thatthe arch comprises two curved plates and one crescent-shaped fiat plate,appropriately secured together, the two curved plates being securedtogether along their rearward edges and diverging forwardly, and thecrescent-shaped plate closing this divergence.

4. A bucket according to claim 1, further characterized bythe fact thatthe-arch comprises two curvedplates and one crescent-shaped flat plate,appropriately secured together, the two curved plates being securedtogether along their rearward edges and diverging forwardly, and thecrescent shaped plate closing this devergence, the

15.;;top.plate being substantially horizontal fore-andaft in its centralportion, and the bottom plate slopingdownwardly forwardly in its centralportiona 1 GERALD J. ASHLEY.

